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Cocaine, Agitation Killed Man, Not Police Restraint
27 Oct
Summary
- Death attributed to extreme agitation and cocaine intoxication.
- Experts state traumatic injuries played no role in death.
- Case compared to another death during police arrest in Florence.
Experts consulted by the Bologna public prosecutors have concluded that Abderrahim Fakir, a 42-year-old Moroccan man, died on July 19 due to a combination of factors unrelated to police restraint. The primary causes identified were extreme agitation, acute cocaine intoxication from chronic use, and severe heart disease, leading to acute respiratory failure.
His death was described as hypoxic, with psychomotor agitation and hyperthermia, both linked to the cocaine, contributing significantly. Although extensive traumatic injuries, including contusions, were present, the experts explicitly stated they played no role in causing his death. Fakir had been held in a prone position at the time of his passing.
The family's lawyer has drawn parallels between this case and that of Riccardo Magherini, who died in Florence in 2014 while being arrested. Italy has since been ordered by the European Court of Human Rights to pay damages in relation to the Magherini case.
